Let Me In
by jazzywazzy08
Summary: In 1983 Chicago, living with her alcoholic grandmother in a two bedroom apartment after her parents' death, Bonnie Bennett, is alone at home and bullied at school. She feels the constant sting of rejection, until Stefan Salvatore moves into the apartment next door and she develops an interest in him, one that only heightens when Bonnie discovers his true nature.


**Title:** Let Me In

**Rating: **T

**Genre:** AU/AH

**Pairing(s): **Bonnie/Stefan

**Stefonnie Week Theme: **Movies, Theater, and Musicals

**Summary: **In 1983 Chicago, living with her alcoholic grandmother in a two bedroom apartment after her parents' death, Bonnie Bennett, is alone at home and bullied at school. She feels the constant sting of rejection, until Stefan Salvatore moves into the apartment next door and she develops an interest in him, one that only heightens when Bonnie discovers his true nature and invites him deeper into of her life.

**Warning(s):** Violence, Character Death, Language, etc.

_**Author's Note:**_ _**So this is another contribution to Stefonnie week. This is up late but at least it's up. This like The Fall is a one-shot. I really don't think I did the movie justice but oh well. I wrote this in a couple of hours because I wanted to get done so that I can start on the Thirst update so bear with me. I have been marathon writing all weekend to get this stuff done, but only because I love you guys. **_ _**Anyway this is inspired by the 2010 film "Let Me In" as well as the earlier version the film done in 2008 "Let The Right One In", loosely. In this take on the tale Owen will be Bonnie and Abby will be Stefan, so there is some gender reversal here. No editing here as usual. So please excuse all errors. Happy reading!**_

**Let Me In **

"_You have to invite me in." ~__**Abby, **__Let Me In (2010)_

Bonnie Bennett sat on the worn old couch in the living room of the two bedroom apartment that she shared with her grandmother. There was a newspaper spread out in front of her as she clipped out articles about death, and a few of the obituaries with a pair of scissors. Most of them had to do with individuals that had died in car accidents. After she had finished cutting them out they were then glued into a scrap book that she had been keeping for over a year now. The first victims in the book were her parents.

Ever since the deaths of Rudy Hopkins and Abby Bennett, Bonnie had been living with her grandmother, Sheila. Without her parents she had simply shut down from the outside world. It had been bad in the beginning but had gotten worse when she had begun to develop her powers and her grandmother revealed to her the nature of what she really was. She had been reluctant to get attached to anyone after her parents died and even more so after she found out that she was a witch. People had trouble accepting her as she was and the powers would have made her seem even more out of place were anyone to find out.

Things were already bad for her at school. She was often the target of violence and racial slurs. While it was only a few individuals, the fact that she had no friends and that most people thought that she was weird, kept anyone from actually reaching out to help her.

The bullies had gotten good at beating her up. They usually hit her in places that couldn't be seen if they bruised. However, most of their attacks were verbal, though just recently Elena Gilbert had accused Bonnie of attempting to move in on her boyfriend Matt Donovan simply because he had greeted Bonnie when walking past her in the hallway. Elena had always that Bonnie was ugly and no one would ever want her, but how she still felt it necessary to have her friend Caroline Forbes and Matt's sister Vicki hold Bonnie down while the girl hacked off Bonnie's hair.

Her hair had been left long in places and short in others, some pieces hanging on by a few strands. Bonnie hadn't fought back. She never fought back as the only means that she had to do so were her powers and that wasn't really a fair fight. Instead she had waited until she had gotten home and cut her hair with her grandmother's hair cutting scissors until it was all even, which had left her sporting a rather short bob.

Bonnie stood from her couch balling up the rest of the newspaper that she wasn't making use of and walked into the kitchenette to throw in into the garbage. She frowned as she came upon her grandmother pouring whiskey into the tea that Bonnie had made her.

"Grams," Bonnie sighed, "If you're going to drink at least eat something. You know how sick you got last time you got drunk on an empty stomach." It was a conversation that they had often and Bonnie knew what her response would be before she gave it.

"I'm fine," Sheila said, as she poured even more alcohol into her mug. She watched Bonnie as the girl walked over to the refrigerator, determined to cook something anyway. "What happened to your hair?" Sheila asked.

Bonnie frowned as she reached up and ran her fingers through it. She didn't see any point in telling her grandmother about the harassment she faced at school. The end result would likely be her grandmother going to the school drunk which wouldn't affect any type of change. "Nothing," Bonnie muttered, "I just thought it would be nice to change it that's all."

Sheila looked suspicious but nodded. "It looks good," she commented, "You can see that pretty face of yours more."

"Thanks," Bonnie said, giving her a half smile. She looked around inside of the fridge before pulling out some meatloaf that was left over from the night before. "Did the paper come today?" She asked.

Sheila shrugged. "I think it's out of the doorstep," she said.

"I'll be right back," Bonnie said, as she placed the meatloaf on the counter, and closed the fridge.

Leaving the kitchen Bonnie walked to the front door and opened it, looking out in search of the newspaper. When she finally found it, she stooped to grab it up and paused as her eyes came into contact with someone's bare feet.

Bonnie frowned as she picked the newspaper up and stood upright. No one in their right mind walked around barefoot in their little apartment building. There was always broken glass scattered around and the halls were always disgusting. Not only that but as it was March, it was still winter and winter in Chicago was nothing to be taken lightly.

Bonnie looked up to from the feet, to their owner her eyes widening a little as the finally reached the face. The boy looked about her age, sixteen, maybe he was a year older. He stared at her, their green eyes meeting and holding. Bonnie thought that perhaps she should say something but could only manage to continue to stare.

"Stefan," a female voice called, "Hurry up with those boxes."

Bonnie hadn't even realized that he was carrying anything until the female had spoken. She watched as he turned away from her and head down the hall and little ways and into the apartment next door. An older woman peeked her head out of the door, her hair blonde and streaked with gray, her brown eyes giving Bonnie and accessing look. When the woman frowned, Bonnie quickly went back into her apartment, shutting the door, and being sure to lock it behind her.

:::

The next day, forty-five year old, Nurse Alexia Branson greeted Dr. Meredith Fell as passed her as she did her rounds during her shift at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Lexi had been a nurse for twenty-five years now and she had worked in close sixteen hospitals, this was her first day at Northwestern.

She didn't move from hospital to hospital because she liked change, she did so out of necessity. When Lexi was seventeen years old she met and fell in love with a boy named Stefan Salvatore. However, it wasn't long before she discovered that he wasn't a boy, but monster, or rather a vampire. Still she had agreed to run away with him.

When they realized his hunting drew too much attention Lexi used her prior schooling to their advantage. She began to work at hospitals and while there she stole the blood samples so that Stefan could have what he needed. It was when her superiors began to notice the blood missing that Lexi transferred to another city or another state, depending on how close she was to being discovered.

For the first ten years he hadn't been able to walk around in the daylight, so it had been harder for them to travel so often. But after they had come upon a witch that had given Stefan a ring that allowed him to walk out during the day, things had gotten easier, well at least when it came to getting away with the blood theft and hiding Stefan's true nature, though the vampire still preferred to roam around in the night.

What had grown harder was their relationship, if it could be called that. She had not been the first. When they had met Stefan had been with woman that Lexi had assumed was his mother, but Katherine Pierce was just another person he had met and convinced to run away with him when she was just a girl like Lexi. And now Lexi was in the same position that they had left Katherine in so long ago now.

Lexi had never thought that she would feel more alone with Stefan there than she felt without him, but that was beginning to be the way that she felt. She had dedicated her life to him and only him, but now it was to the point where he would only touch her if she begged and her only significance to him was the blood that she could give him.

She had thought that he had loved her but now she wasn't sure that he was even capable of it. He was already searching for her replacement, in every female face they passed it seemed. Katherine had at least lasted until fifty, and she had committed suicide soon after Lexi and Stefan had run off. Lexi hadn't understood why at the time but now she did. It was one thing to give your life to someone, but then when you were forced to watch as you meant less and less to them each day. To have to age while they stayed forever young, and to realize when they left that it was much too late in the game for you to start over and to live, because they had stolen your life from you and you had let them.

Lexi had felt uneasy when she saw Stefan looking at the girl that he had passed in the hall way the night before, she had knew as soon as she saw the look that it would be her that took her place. However, the thing that had upset Lexi more than anything was the fact that she had never seen the look in Stefan's eyes that had been there as he looked at the girl before. If he chose her then she would be different than the ones before, Lexi could feel it. Still she could not resent Stefan for that. She love him far too much.

Lexi nodded at one of the other nurses passing by as she rolled her cart up to the door of the room where the blood samples were kept. Looking around to make sure that she wasn't seen she used the identification card that she had stolen from Dr. Fell to enter the room.

She walked inside rolling her car in front of her. As soon as she closed the door behind her she went over to the freezer and began to load blood bags into the bottom of her cart.

:::

When Bonnie got home from school it was to find her grandmother passed out on the couch. She had been relieved as her face was scratched up from Elena pushing her down the cement stairs at school.

She walked straight into the bathroom, pulling her sweater over her head. The bullying had started when she had come to school and found the word "mutt" written on her locker in black Sharpie and had only escalated from there. Some of it was racial, some of it was unprovoked, and all of it was slowly breaking Bonnie's will to care.

Bonnie splashed water on her face, let out a painted his as accidently brushed against her busted lip. She gently touched the bruise on her wrist. She had just healed from the last attack, they used to be so far and few in between. Not it was like Bonnie was in a constant battle.

Opening the medicine cabinet and retrieving the things she would need to dress her wounds. Her magic would likely heal her in a few hours but in the meantime she needed to make sure that they didn't get infected. She tried not to heal herself with her powers too often because the quicker she healed the sooner she became a target again.

When she was finished Bonnie pulled her sweater back over her head and went into her bedroom. She shut the door behind her before she walked across the room and opened the top drawer to her nightstand. She dug around until she found her cigarettes. Pulling one from the back and grabbing the lighter that was sitting on her desk top she walked toward her bedroom window.

Opening the window Bonnie climbed out and onto the fire escape. She sat down on the pillow covered crate that she kept out there and curled up into herself to try and stave off the cold. She lit her cigarette, taking a drag of it as she looked out into the night sky.

Turning her head slightly her eyes fell on a pair of bare feet that were one the other end of the fire escape. She looked up and into the eyes of the boy that she had seen the day before in the hall. He was sitting on a crate similar to her own.

"Aren't you cold?" Bonnie asked, not sure if he would answer as he hadn't yet acknowledged her presence.

He turned to her slightly and watched as she blew smoke out of her mouth. "I don't really get cold," he said.

"Oh," Bonnie said, wrapping her arms around herself more tightly. She took another drag of her cigarette. She blew smoke out again, this time in rings.

"You shouldn't smoke," he said, "It's bad for you."

"Yeah, well," Bonnie said, "Neither is frostbite but I don't see you wearing shoes so." She smiled a little when his lips twitched upward. "I'm Bonnie," she said.

"Stefan," he said, facing forward again.

Bonnie watched him out of the corner of her eyes. "I saw you moving in yesterday," Bonnie said, "In the hall with your mom."

Stefan laughed, shaking his head. Bonnie was about to ask him what was so funny when they heard noise coming from the inside of his apartment.

Stefan moved to go back inside and Bonnie frowned. "I'll be out here tomorrow," she said, "If you want talk some more." She only ever had conversation with her Grams nowadays and that was mostly the same argument about her drinking when the woman was even home. She had no friends to speak of. She knew she probably sounded desperate but she couldn't help herself.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie," he said, "But we can't be friends."

Bonnie watched as he climbed back inside of his window. She wasn't really surprised, it was the first time that she had been rejected.

**:::**

Two days later Stefan found himself thinking about Bonnie as he watched Lexi get dressed for work. The blonde seemed to notice that his mind was elsewhere and she frowned at him as she looked at him through her vanity mirror.

"You're thinking about that girl aren't you?" She asked.

Stefan blinked at her from where he sat on the edge of her bed. "What girl?" He asked, his tone confused.

"Don't play dumb," she said, "I saw the way that you looked at her when we moved in here." Stefan said nothing and she sighed. "It's not as if I didn't know I would be replaced eventually. You don't have to lie about it."

"It isn't a matter of me replacing you," Stefan said, "You can't be replaced. Just like you didn't replace Katherine. All relationships are different. You mean different things to me."

"And what do she mean to you?" Lexi asked, "The girl. Don't say nothing. I know you. You're trying to stay away from her. To protect her. You never did that with me or the others. She already means more to you than we did."

"It isn't the same," Stefan repeated. He stood from the bed and shook his head. "Let's just drop it."

"You wouldn't turn me," Lexi said, "Would you turn her?"

Stefan felt his anger rise and his face began to distort, his fangs descending and blue black veins appearing beneath his eyes. "Damn it, Lexi," he shouted, "I said drop it."

Lexi looked at him, her eyes full of pain. He had never used that tone with her before, never threatened her with his true form. "Please don't see that girl again," she said.

Stefan ignored her turning away. "You need to be more careful with the blood," he said, "You took too much last time. Just take what I need or else it will be suspicious."

"Maybe I'm tired," Lexi sighed, "Maybe I want to get caught."

Without giving her a response Stefan walked away, leaving that room without looking back.

**:::**

Bonnie sat on her fire escape twirling her father's Swiss army knife in her hands. Her grandmother had left to get more money out of her account to replenish her alcohol supply. Most of the money was money that Bonnie's parent's left her. It was what they lived off now that her grandmother was retired from teaching.

Bonnie didn't care what her Grams spent the money on anymore. She still had a trust fund that she would get when she turned eighteen. Plenty of money that Sheila couldn't touch. Still she hated that they had to live off of scraps of food and yet her Grams always had a drink when she needed it.

Bonnie had thought about getting a part time job, but she knew that if she did that would mean leaving her Grams alone in the house and with the way that she drank nothing good would come of that.

Bonnie started slightly as Stefan joined her on the fire escape. She noted that he was finally dressed in weather appropriate clothing, including shoes.

He glanced over at her as he sat down on the crate next to her. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Nothing," Bonnie shrugged, looking at him curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Stefan responded with a half-smile. He gestured towards the knife in Bonnie's hand with his head. "Nice knife," he said.

"It was my fathers," Bonnie said, looking down at the knife, "He got it from his father. He was a military brat. My mom used to tease him about it before…before they died. He always wanted a boy but they got me instead so he just taught me the things he would've taught a son I guess. He gave me the knife when I turned ten. We used to play army games. He taught me Morse code."

"I know Morse code," Stefan commented, as Bonnie twirled the knife around in her hand.

"No one knows Morse code," Bonnie laughed, "No I know besides my dad anyway." Bonnie listened as Stefan began to tap on the side of the grate, spelling out the word "hi". She smiled. "I stand corrected," she said.

Bonnie grew quiet and Stefan took a moment to study her. He felt that they should end this communication here, but he couldn't bring himself to go inside. "How old are you?" Stefan asked, after they were silent a moment.

"Sixteen," Bonnie answered, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," he told her, pausing and looking up at the sky before he finished his response with, "More or less."

"Where do you go to school?" Bonnie asked, "You are in school aren't you? I've never really seen you out around. Did you graduate early?"

Stefan opened his mouth to lie but closed it when he notice the bruise on her wrist. "What happened there?"

Bonnie shook her head and waved her hands dismissively. "Nothing," she said, "It's just some girls at school-"

"Bonnie," Stefan said, his tone suddenly serious, "You have to fight back. You have to fight back hard."

"What if it doesn't work?" Bonnie asked, "What if they just hit harder?"

Stefan grabbed the knife from her hand and waved it in her face. "You have a knife," he said, "Use it."

Bonnie grabbed the knife from his hand and shook her head. It wasn't that simple and while no one ever intervened to help her she knew that they would intervene if she tried to fight back. "What if it doesn't stop them?" She asked.

"Then I'll help you," he said.

"Why would you do that?" Bonnie asked, looking at him frowning, "I thought you said that we couldn't be friends."

"Maybe we can."

**:::**

Dr. Meredith Fell frowned as she looked at the log showing who had been in and out of the blood sample room and saw her name pop up multiple times. She had misplaced her badge some days ago and she was certain that someone was using her badge to get into the room.

Samples were going missing and everyone was beginning to get suspicious. Dr. Fell knew that she would be the obvious suspect were anyone to look at the logs. And so she knew that she would have to discover who was really responsible before someone started to investigate.

She looked up as Nurse Branson walked down the hall pushing her cart. "I'm off to lunch," Lexi said smiling, "Cheryl will be taking over my round until I return."

"Enjoy your lunch," Dr. Fell called. She smiled at the woman but stopped short as she spotted a blood bag sticking out of the back of Lexi's cart. Frowning she thought about calling security but she was so fond of the woman that she decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Nurse Branson was kind and good with the patients. But there was also the matter of Dr. Fell's own name being on the logs. If Meredith were to accuse her then there was a chance that people would think that Meredith was trying to have Nurse Branson take the fall for her. The situation was a delicate one.

She would confront her and find out reasoning before she threw her under the bus.

**:::**

Bonnie was prepared with Elena cornered her in the bathroom the next day. As soon as the brunette pushed her into the stall Bonnie came at the girl with fists.

Elena laughed as Bonnie punched her across the face. "Look who's brave enough to fight back all of a sudden," Elena said, "Too bad it won't do you any good."

She punched Bonnie in the stomach and Bonnie doubled over. The girl pinned her to the stall wall and continued her assault. Bonnie struggled against her, the fight leaving her momentarily. She felt week and useless until Elena lifted her arm to swing and Bonnie reached into her pocked and felt knife there.

Bonnie's fear and submissiveness due to constantly being victimized turned to anger as she grabbed Elena by the hair and slammed her head against the stall wall. She had their positions reversed a moment later, Elena pinned to the wall under her full weight. Taking the knife out of her pocket Bonnie opened it and pressed it to Elena's throat.

"Did you really think that one day you wouldn't push me too fucking far?" Bonnie spat, "That I would keep letting you get away with this shit?"

"Fuck you," Elena responded, but Bonnie could see the fear in her eyes.

"Coming alone was your first mistake," Bonnie said, "And touching me was your second. You should have brought your little friends. Maybe you would have had a fighting chance."

"What are you going to do?" Elena laughed, "Kill me?"

"Don't tempt me bitch," Bonnie said, pressing the knife deeper into her throat. She was tired of this, it would end today one way or another.

"Oh please you mutt," Elena said, "You don't have it in."

Bonnie finally silenced her as she drew the knife across Elena's throat, she cut slowing and deliberately, watching as she drew blood. It wasn't deep enough to kill the girl but it was deep enough to serve as a warning. "I swear to you," Bonnie said, "The next time you speak to me, the next time you look at me, or the next time that you touch me I'm going to slice your fucking head off."

Bonnie let her go watching as the stunned girl slid to the ground. She closed the knife and left the stall, leaving the bathroom without looking back.

**:::**

Stefan laid across his bed, listening through the wall as Bonnie returned home. He could hear her moving around in her room and he knew the moment that she laid down on her bed. He raised his hand, hesitating only a moment before he tapped out the word "hi" in Morse code onto the wall.

He smiled when she responded almost immediately. He tapped out another message inviting her to come out to the fire escape and moved to get out of bed once she agreed.

He walked over to his window opening it at the same time that she opened hers. They smiled at each other as the both climbed out onto the fire escape.

"I did what you said," Bonnie said, as she sat down next to him, "I fought back. I fought back hard."

"What happened?" Stefan asked, suddenly interested.

Bonnie turned to him moving her body until their knees touched. "I used the knife on one of the girls," Bonnie told him, "I drew blood, almost slit her throat. It felt good. Really good." Bonnie frowned as she looked away and then back at Stefan. "Do you think I'm a bad person?" She asked.

"No," Stefan said, shaking his head.

Bonnie smiled at him. She thought that he might have been scared of her. She was beginning to scare herself. "Good," she said, "Cause you're probably the only friend I have."

"I could say the same about you," Stefan said. He stared at Bonnie a long time before he next spoke. "Bonnie, do you like me?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah," she said, "A lot."

"Would you like me…..even if I wasn't who you thought I was?" Stefan pressed.

Bonnie was confused by the way that he looked at her. "What do you mean?" Bonnie asked, "I don't know. I guess. Why?"

Stefan shook his head and cleared his throat. "No reason," he said.

Bonnie placed her hand on his knee, her palm faced up. He covered his hand with hers threading their fingers together. "I really like you, too," he said.

**:::**

Lexi Branson waited for Dr. Meredith Fell to appear in the hospital parking lot. She had been keeping the doctor being suspicious of her a secret from Stefan. She hadn't wanted to worry him, but the doctor had confronted her and had plans to go to the police and Lexi knew that something had to be done.

It had never gotten this far. Usually they were out of sight and out of mind before Lexi's was ever under suspicion, if it ever happened. They always made sure to leave before anyone noticed the missing blood, but Lexi had grown sloppy.

Lexi watched as Dr. Fell made her way toward her car. She held the scalpel she had stolen in her hand. She would get rid of Dr. Fell and then she and Stefan could leave. She couldn't let the doctor finger her. They would be able to connect her to connect her to Stefan if she was apprehended and then it would all be over.

Lexi crept up behind Dr. Fell as she moved to open the door of her car. She grabbed the doctor by the head and put the scalpel to her throat. "I'm sorry," Lexi whispered into her ear.

"Lexi?" Meredith asked, panicked, "You don't have to do this. I won't tell anyone about the blood I promise."

Lexi shook her head. "I can't take that risk," Lexi said. She heard footsteps and tried to hurried slit the doctor's throat but the doctor had started to scream for help.

Frantic Lexi dug the scalpel deeper into her throat and attempted to slam the woman's head through her car window as she finally cut deep enough to draw blood.

Lexi let the doctor go and watched as the woman slid to the ground unconscious and bleeding profusely from the neck.

She watched as a man rounded the corner and came upon the scene. She ignored him as he demanded to know who she was and what had happened. She reached into her pocked and took out the cyanide pill that she kept on her just in case the day would come when she and Stefan could not run anymore.

He didn't need her now. He had the girl next door. She was certain that he was still seeing her. And this way she would be free of him, free of all of it. After over twenty years she could escape.

Putting the cyanide pill inside her mouth she swallowed it dry.

:::

Bonnie sat up in bed, waking up as she heard a knock on her window. She looked out in the window in the confusion as she saw Stefan out on the fire escape.

Getting out of bed, Bonnie walked over the window and lifted it open. "Hi," she said, "What's going on?"

Stefan smiled down at her. In truth Lexi hadn't come home and he was worried that she had left him. He didn't like being alone and never had. He needed Bonnie. "I wanted to see you," he said, "Invite me in."

"Come in, Bonnie said, taking a step back, "Why are you up so late?" She cleared her throat as he climbed through her window and looked around her room.

"Sorry to wake you," Stefan said.

"It's okay," Bonnie shrugged, "Is everything alright?" Instead of answering Stefan walked over to her bed and laid down on top of the sheets. She noted that his feet were once again bare. "Stefan?"

"I hate being alone," he said, laying his head on her pillow, "I don't feel alone when I'm with you."

Hesitantly Bonnie walked toward the bed and laid down on the other side of it. They laid there a moment quietly facing each other.

"You said," Bonnie whispered after a moment, "That you liked me a lot. Did you mean it?"

Stefan nodded.

"I don't like to be alone either," Bonnie said, her tone leading, "If you want…maybe we could be together."

"We're together right now," Stefan said.

"That's not what I meant," Bonnie sighed, "I meant…I've never had a boyfriend before." Bonnie looked away a moment later her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

"I'm not a boy, Bonnie," he said, frowning.

"You're not a boy?" Bonnie asked, turning to him, eyebrow raised, "Then what are you, Stefan?"

Stefan turned away from her and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm nothing," he whispered.

"You don't have to be all weird," Bonnie sighed, "If you don't want to be with me just say so. It's not like I haven't been rejected before. I won't break."

"You don't want to be with someone like me, Bonnie," Stefan said, "You just don't."

"Just like we just can't be friends?" Bonnie asked. She turned to him and frowned. "Sometimes I don't get you," she said.

"Sometimes I'm afraid that you do," Stefan said, "That you're the only one that ever really has."

"Who are you?" Bonnie asked, "Really?"  
"I told you," Stefan said, "I'm nothing." He watched as Bonnie licked her lips and without warning he leaned forward and kissed her.

**:::**

Agent Elizabeth Forbes walked into the Dr. Meredith Fell's hospital room. Amazingly she had survived the attack that happened that night. The perpetrator Nurse Alexia Branson was dead and the only person that she could get some answers from was Meredith Fell.

She stopped in front of the woman's bed and looked at her sympathetically. "Hello, Dr. Fell," she said, "I'm here to ask you some questions about your attack. Do you feel up to it?"

The doctor nodded, slowly.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Elizabeth asked, "Do you know who did this? Why you were attacked?"

Meredith nodded again. "Lexi Branson," she said, struggling to speak as she touched her wounded throat, "She was….stealing blood from the hospital's sample supply. I….caught her….she was using my badge…."

Elizabeth frowned. "Do you know would steal blood?" she asked, "Was she a Satanist? A part of some sort of cult maybe?"

"I don't know," she answered, her voice scratchy, "She never….spoke about her personal life….she mentioned a son once or twice."

"A son?" Elizabeth said raising and eyebrow, "How old is this son?"

**:::**

Stefan found out about Lexi's death on the news. He had torn the entire house apart and he sat staring at a picture of him and Lexi that had been taken so long ago. He could had prevented it, he knew, had he not been ignoring her and had he not been so focused on Bonnie.

He stood as he heard a knock on the door, knowing immediately who it was. Bonnie was the only one that ever came to see him. She had been by the last few days and he had felt more emotion than he felt in a long time each time that he saw her, but as he thought of Lexi her presence wasn't welcomed. Still he opened the door and invited her inside.

As Bonnie came in she looked around at the mess that the apartment was in and frowned. "What happened here?" She asked.

Stefan ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "You know," he said, "I really want to be left alone."

Bonnie frowned and reached out her hand to him. "But you said that you didn't like to be alone," she said. He stepped away from her and she felt her heart drop. He was the first everything she had had. The first friend she had had, the first kiss. The thought of losing him terrified her. Befriending him had given her hope and for someone as alone and isolated as Bonnie that was a dangerous thing.

"Just leave," Stefan said. Bonnie didn't budge form the spot that she was in as she looked at him.

"You wouldn't have invited me in if you didn't need me Stefan," she said, "Just tell me what's going on."

Angered, Stefan couldn't control himself as his fangs dropped and veins appeared beneath. "Get out," he yelled.

Bonnie flinched taking a step back. "What are you?" she said, but swallowed when she remembered what she had learned during the times that she read her grandmother's grimoire. She didn't like to focus on her powers, and her Grams was rarely sober enough to teach her but she knew a vampire when she saw one. "You're a vampire," she said.

"Now you know," he said, "I need blood to live. And tonight I lost someone close to me because I couldn't get for myself."

"Your mother?" Bonnie asked, though she was afraid. She wanted to believe he would not hurt her, she wanted to but she wasn't sure.

"She wasn't my mother," Stefan said, handing Bonnie the picture of him and Lexi together, his face returning to normal.

Bonnie looked down at the picture and frowned as she saw the woman who had been moving in with him, only much younger, and Stefan who looked exactly the same. "How old are you?" Bonnie asked, "Really?"

"Seventeen," Stefan sighed, "But…I've been seventeen for a very long time."

"Who was she to you?" Bonnie asked, "Was she liked me? Did you make her think you cared about her too? So that she would give you blood?"

"I did care about her," Stefan said, "I care about you too. But it's different. It's more."

Bonnie shook her head, dropping the picture to the floor. "I don't believe you," she said, "I don't know how she died but I'm not going to be next."

"I wouldn't let that happen," he said, "Not to you." He took a step forward and Bonnie stepped back. "What I am is not worse than what you are?"

Bonnie frowned and she knew then, knew that he knew that she was a witch. But though Bonnie didn't know much about her own kind of his she knew there was a difference. "You kill people," she said.

"I do it because I have to," he told her.

But it didn't matter, he still did it. And he would have her do it. She thought about what she had done to Elena Gilbert, about how good it felt and she shook her head. Could she really judge him, when in a way she was like him? She was capable of what he was capable of and he was doing it to live, to survive, what was her excuse? "I want to go," Bonnie said, suddenly, "Will you let me?"

Stefan walked over to the door and opened it for her. "I told you we couldn't be friends," he said.

Bonnie left without giving him a response.

**:::**

Bonnie opened her apartment door to Stefan the next day. Her grandmother was gone and she had skipped school. She hadn't told her about Stefan, afraid of what her grandmother would do to him. She still cared about him even now. Still wanted to be with him. But she was afraid of him, of who she was becoming when she was with him.

"What do you want?" Bonnie asked, "Why are you just standing there staring?"

"You have to invite me in," he responded. He was testing her she knew, trying to see if she would accept him. An invitation inside would have not one meaning, but two.

"What happens if I don't?" Bonnie questioned.

Stefan attempted to step over the threshold and almost immediately cried out in pain. Bonnie watched as he clutched his head, blood dripping from his eyes and his ears. "You can come in," Bonnie said quickly.

Stefan stumbled inside fall on his knees and Bonnie closed the door behind him. She knelt down beside him once the door was closed and shuddered as their eyes met. "What was that?" She asked.

"I just know that's what happens when you don't invite me in," Stefan said.

"This is insane," Bonnie whispered. She stood to her feet and turned away from him, looking down, as her mind raced.

"I thought it would be easier with you," Stefan said quietly.

She knew what he meant. Because she was a witch, because she was made to feel different not just because of her power but because of who and what she was. "It scares me," she said, "What you are. What I am."

Bonnie stood stiffly as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I know," he said, quietly.

**:::**

Stefan watched as Bonnie slept next to him on the other side of his bed. She was facing away from him but at the very least she was there. He propped his head up on his elbow listening as she breathed in and out.

Reaching out he ran his fingertips up her arm and then back down again. He had not felt the need to touch the others. In the end, sometimes in the beginning, and many times throughout he had touched them out of obligation. But with Bonnie there a need for connection, a need for contact.

He placed his hand over hers threading their fingers together. He felt her stir and smiled a little as she squeezed his hand. "Maybe one day I will take you away from here," he said, "Then it'll be just the two of us."

Bonnie was silent a moment before she turned her head slightly so that she could face him. "Maybe one day I'll let you," she said, "Maybe."

"Do I still scare you?" Stefan asked, as he looked down at her.

"Yes," Bonnie whispered.

Stefan leaned down and brushed his lips over hers lightly. "You scare me, too," he told her, and then leaning in he kissed her more fully.

**:::**

Agent Forbes knocked on the door of the apartment where Nurse Alexia Branson had lived. Her coworkers claimed that she had a son and she hoped that the boy could shed some light on the situation, and as he apparently wasn't yet eighteen, she knew that some intervention on her part might be necessary now that his mother had committed not only murder, but suicide as well.

As she knocked inside Bonnie stirred from her sleep. Frowning she set up in his bed and locked around for him. She tried to be quiet as she got out of bed, deciding to climb out of Stefan's window go into her own apartment but the wood floors creaked and a moment later she heard the officer force her way inside.

Bonnie hid behind the door as she listened to the officer search the house. "My name is Agent Forbes," the woman said, "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to ask a few questions."

When she came to Stefan's room Bonnie held her breath as the woman opened the door and walked inside. The woman didn't see her, instead moving straight toward the bathroom, and Bonnie realized that the light was on and it was likely where Stefan had gone.

As the officer opened the door to the bathroom Bonnie walked out of her hiding place hoping that she could sneak out of the window while the officer was interrogating Stefan, not wanting her grandmother to know where she had been once she returned home. She stopped however, as the officer came upon Stefan drinking from a blood bag, the other bags he had already emptied in the bathroom sink.

Agent Forbes raised her gun immediately. "Drop it and put your hands up you sick freak," she said.

Without thinking Bonnie focused her powers on the gun sending it flying out of the officer's hands and sliding across the bathroom floor. The officer turned toward her and almost as soon as she did Stefan attacked her from behind, ripping into the woman's neck with her fangs.

Bonnie knew who the woman was, that she was Caroline Forbes' mother. The same Caroline Forbes that helped Elena Gilbert bully her mercilessly. The same Caroline Forbes that teased Bonnie for being an orphan. As the woman cried out of Bonnie and begged for her help Bonnie took a step out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her choosing not to intervene.

She listened to the screams if the woman her face blank. There was no turning back now. She had made her choice. She had chosen Stefan and everything that meant. The killing, the blood, the running. This would be her life now, and she had walked into it opened eyed.

When it was over the door opened and Stefan left the bathroom covered in blood. Bonnie looked pass him and saw the officer's body on the ground dismembered. The torso in the bathtub, the arms and legs thrown about, and the head rolling around in the sink onto top of the empty blood bags.

Stefan studied her searching for signs of disgust but he saw none. There appeared to be some shock, a little fear, but there was something that gave him pause, the grim and satisfied expression on her face. "I can't stay here anymore," he said, "It isn't safe for me."

"What?" Bonnie frowned, her hear plummeting. He was all that she had really, there was no one else. She couldn't even count on her Grams, not anymore. "No," she said, "You have to stay."

Stefan shook his head. "She was the first but there will be more," he said, "Especially when they find her body. It's better if I leave now."

"Then take me with you," Bonnie begged, "You said you wanted to."

"No," Stefan said, "I don't want this life for you." Bonnie opened her mouth the protest and Stefan held up his hands. "You're not like the others," he said, "I wouldn't be fine watching you age. Watching you grow old. I'd want to change you before that happened. But you can't be like me. You can't be like this. You're better than this. You'd lose your powers, who you are. I'd never be able to forgive myself for that."

"I've already lost who I am," Bonnie said, "But I didn't like who I was anyway."

"You'd hate who you'd be with me even more," he sighed, "I mean when I said that you're different. With the others I could handle it but you…I don't want to see the day that you look at me and realize that I wasn't worth it."

Stefan leaned down to kiss her and though blood still stained his lips Bonnie allowed it. She looked away from him as he pulled back. Knowing that she would not be able to convince him to stay or bring her along, Bonnie walked away from him and climbed out of his window and onto the fire escape.

As she climbed into her own window she felt the tears threaten to fall but she held them at bay. Walking through her room and into her bathroom Bonnie stared at herself in the mirror and didn't recognize her own face. Turning on the faucet she began to wash the blood that had gotten on her face and lips when Stefan had kissed her, and pretended not to hear the sound of him packing his belongings through the thin walls.

Just two hours later Bonnie tearfully watched Stefan's car drive away from the apartment complex and down the street.

**:::**

Two days later Bonnie sat on the edge of the school's swimming pool after hours, dangling her feet in the water. Everyone else was at the basketball game for the school's team but Bonnie had never been interested in sports.

Her grandmother had sobered up long enough to go to some convention that was being held by the college that she used to teach at and Bonnie hadn't wanted to stay at home alone. So she entered the school through the gymnasium like everyone else and went right to the pool on the pretense of having to use the bathroom.

Bonnie heard footsteps and figured that she had been caught by one of the teachers. She stood quickly and moved to put on her shoes when suddenly she saw Elena, Vicki, and Caroline round the corner.

Bonnie took a step back wondering if they had somehow found out about her involvement in the death of Caroline's mother. But she knew that was impossible. However, she was sure that the girl's grief would make her lash out and as usual she was the perfect target.

Bonnie reached into her pocket in search of her father's knife but she found it wasn't there.

"Looking for this," Elena asked, "You dropped it in gym. Idiot move but that's to expected from a mutt."

"Maybe you should use it to scratch up her face Elena," Caroline said, "You know pay back for your scar."

Bonnie saw the scar that was left from when she had grazed Elena's throat with it and smiled, refusing to show fear.

"She threatened to kill her remember?" Vicki said, "I say she deserves more than a scratch."

As Elena agreed Bonnie began to think about her options. If she used her powers not only would she have to kill them, she would likely be discovered and locked away. At least if she attempted to make a run for it there was a chance she would be able to escape.

Bonnie moved to run but Vicki caught her by the arm and hit her hard on the back of the head with something blunt. For a moment Bonnie lost conscious.

When she came out of it Bonnie felt herself being kicked in the stomach and she realized that she had been hit with a bat. She was yanked up by her hair and dragged toward the pool.

She tried to build up her powers so that she could fight back, but she was still dizzy and her head was spinning. Before she could even make an attempt to defend herself her head was be forced underneath the water.

Bonnie struggled but the more she did so the harder she was pushed beneath the water's surface. She attempted to hold her breath but she knew that she wouldn't last long.

From up above Bonnie heard a loud crash and she began to struggle anew. She found herself being held even as she heard the sounds of a struggle through the sound of rushing water in her ears. She opened her eyes and found the water clouded with blood. She thought that it might be her own blood, until she saw Elena Gilbert's head floating in the water next to her.

Bonnie lifted her head from the water, screams of terror filling her ears as she attempted to catch her breath. Coughing up water and breathing in air, Bonnie looked around her to see the pieces of dismembered limbs fall into the water one by one as the screams finally stopped. The three girl's heads floated above the water but she couldn't for the life of her figure out whose body parts belonged to who.

A moment later Bonnie found herself lifted to her feet. She knew who it was even before she was standing properly. She didn't care if he had come back or if had never left. He was there and that meant that he was there for her. An object was placed into her hand and Bonnie looked down to see that it was her father's Swiss army knife. She closed her fingers around it, looked up at her savior and giving him a small smile.

Taking her other hand in his Stefan smiled back.

**:::**

Bonnie had pulled the Stefan's car over on the side of the road just inside of Nevada. She sat on the trunk of the car, legs crossed and a lollipop dangling from her hands that she occasionally sucked while she waited.

She listened to the taps coming from inside the trunk and smiled. She responded back, but paused as she saw a car pulling over and parking up behind Stefan's. She put the lollipop in her mouth and watched as the man got out of his car twirling it around on her tongue.

The man slammed the door behind him and walked up to her. His eyes giving her a once over, pausing to appreciate the view of her chest that the shirt she wore gave him. "Hey," he said, "You having a little car trouble."

Bonnie nodded, giving him her best pout. "My tire," she said, "It's flat." She looked up at the night sky a moment before returning her eyes to the man. "I've been out here for a while now but you're the first person to stop to help."

"I've always been weak for a damsel in distress," he said, "You got a spare tire in the trunk?"

Bonnie frowned feigning confusion. "Is that what that thing is in there?" she said, "I swear I'm hopeless."

"Hop down," the man said, "I'll take a look." He watched as Bonnie slid off the trunk and handed him the keys to unlock it, his eyes roving over her body once more as he did so. "You got a name?" he asked, "Or should I just call you damsel."

His eyes followed the movement of her tongue as she flicked it over the lollipop. "Tell me yours first," she said.

"Alaric," he said as he opened the trunk to the car, "Alaric Saltzman but you can call me Ric."

Bonnie smiled at him sadly, causing him to frown. "Well Ric," she said, "I'm sorry. And for the record it isn't anything personal."

"Huh?" Alaric asked. Before Bonnie could answer him the trunk of the popped open and Alaric looked down to see a man inside. "What the hell is this?"

Bonnie watched as Stefan leapt from the trunk and tackled Alaric to the ground. She picked up the keys from where he had dropped them on the ground, ignoring as Alaric begged for help. She stepped over the blood that had begun to puddle on the ground as she walked around the car and got in on the driver's side, shutting the door behind.

Sticking the key into the ignition, Bonnie started the car and turned on the radio. As the screams continued to ring out into the night behind her, she began to sing along.

_**End Notes: Okay so it's been a while since I have seen either version of Let Me In, so this probably didn't do it justice but I am glad at the very least that I got it finished. It was hard to do this and keep everyone in character. Lol. Anyway hope that you enjoyed it. This is my last contribution to Stefonnie week though I will continue to update The Count and will be updating Thirst. Anyway tell me what you thought. **_


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